1,800-yr-old Buddha statue dig out

The state of archaeology department has found a limestone statue of Gautam Buddha that dates backside to at least 1,800 years. “It was a chance detection,” said the director of archaeology and museums, Prof. P. Chenna Reddy.

The limestone statue from the second century CE was exposed at Chada village in the Atmakur mandal of Nalgonda district when labourers were digging the fields. In addition to the statue, Buddhist sculptural boards and a few large bricks were also discovered.

“The discovers make known the existence of a new Buddhist site in the Telangana region. This confirmation adds to the group of Buddhist sites in Nalgonda district such as Tirumalagiri, Phanigiri, Gazulabanda, Vardhamanukota, Aravapalli and Nagaram; all situated on the banks of Bikkeru. The district is also covered with famous Buddhist sites on the eastern side such as Yeleswaram and Nagarjunakonda,” said by Prof. Reddy.